


Making Christmas

by deirdre_aithne



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Getting Together, Humor, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-01
Updated: 2016-12-01
Packaged: 2019-10-27 23:33:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17776334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deirdre_aithne/pseuds/deirdre_aithne
Summary: A short collection of adventdrabbles pieces about Neville Longbottom attempting to woo Harry Potter.





	Making Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer:** I do not own or claim to own any characters, settings, locations, etc. from Harry Potter. All borrowed aspects of the above fandom are used purely for entertainment in a fanwork, and will be returned to their proper fandom and owners scratch, dent, and injury-free.

"Erotic photographs?" If not for the satisfied smirk Draco shot him, Neville would have thought the other man was having him on. "You can't be serious..."

"Why not?" Draco asked, arching a slender brow. "Nothing says 'thinking of you' quite like a few risqué photos. Even if you don't care to bare it all, a bit of suggestion could go a long way. Why, just the other day, Hermione-"

"No thank you!" Neville interrupted hastily, holding up his hands in a gesture of surrender. Draco's smirk never faltered, but he lifted one shoulder in a shrug and fell silent. Shaking his head, Neville sighed. "I don't think that's quite what I'm looking for, honestly. I don't even know if he's interested, yet."

"One would think that would make the answer clear."

Neville shot Draco a glare. "And make things awkward, as well. Not exactly the ideal way to go."

Shrugging his shoulder once more, Draco made a noncommittal sound. "I gave you my suggestion, Longbottom. If you don't care for it, I would suggest asking one of his other friends. Or-" he added with a pointed look, "-you might try speaking to Potter directly."

* * *

Neville eyed the red-striped candy in George's hand. His Gran had given him ribbon candies every Christmas; even if they weren't his favourite, they were a nostalgic little treat and he _did_ enjoy them. But he knew George, and he wasn't sure he trusted anything that came from the back room of the shop. Especially with Fred's ghost hovering just behind George's shoulder with a beaming grin on his face.

"No, thanks," he said, only to have George roll his eyes and press the candy into his hand regardless.

"Come on, they're harmless, see?" George plucked a green-striped ribbon from the bowl on his work desk and broke a bit off to pop into his mouth. When nothing happened to him, Neville finally gave in and broke a piece off his own candy.

"So, about Harry?"

George looked at him for a moment longer before seeming to give himself a mental shake and nodding. "Right, yeah. He likes sweets, of course. And we've plenty of those around here, even a few that are safe to eat."

"If you're any good at baking, you could make him a treacle tart. Loves those things, he does," Fred offered, floating closer. Neville arched an eyebrow as he leaned in close to his face as though examining him before letting out a quiet sigh. "Back to the drawing board, then, Georgie?"

When George hiccuped in answer, Neville and Fred both turned their attention to him, watching as the sparkle of fairy lights in front of George's face faded, only for him to hiccup again and a fresh batch appear. With a resounding laugh, Fred clapped his hands soundlessly together.

"You mixed up the batches, that's brilliant!"

Fighting a smile, Neville stepped to the side as George chucked a handful of the candies in Fred's direction. "I'll just... see myself out while you get that sorted."

* * *

"How am I supposed to know what he likes?" Ron asked as he frowned at the shelves in front of him, crammed full of perfume bottles of assorted shapes. A woman further down the row took a bottle off a shelf and sprayed it in front of her face, adding to the cloying scent of the aisle and causing Neville to briefly wave a hand in front of his nose in an effort to get a breath of actual air.

"You're his best mate. If anyone should know, it would be you." Frustrated, Neville reached up to rake a hand through his hair. "You've got to have _some_ idea?"

Ron shrugged. "Not any more than you do. Why not just ask him yourself?" Ron asked as he plucked a bottle off the shelf and sniffed at it uncertainly, before thrusting it towards Neville. "Do you think Pans would like this one?"

"She's your girlfriend," Neville said as he nudged the bottle away without smelling it. "How am I supposed to know?"

With a hum, Ron set the bottle back on the shelf and returned to frowning at the selection. "What about a date? Take him out to that fancy new place in Diagon, see where it gets you?"

Neville shook his head with a frown. "Yeah, I can see that going well. 'Hey, Harry, how about we go out for a bit of fondue and get to know each other a little better.' Brilliant."

"Never know. He might let you hold his stick," Ron quipped, flashing a shameless grin when Neville sputtered in response. "Only joking. But you might as well just get it out there, you know? Not doing yourself any good dancing around it, and Harry's about as thick as I am about this stuff. Pans practically had to beat me over the head with it before I realized what she was on about."

* * *

"And... _there_ ," Luna said as she settled the topper into place, setting the white bird trilling from its perch on top of the tree.

Neville hung the last of the ornaments on an unadorned branch before stepping back to take a look at their work. He didn't particularly care for oddly-coloured trees, really, but he had to admit that the bubble-gum pink was rather fitting for Luna. And the silver ornaments worked well to tie it all together with the snowy garland.

"Thank you so much for helping me, Neville. I could never have gotten it done in time without you."

"You're welcome." Neville smiled and took a seat on the sofa, watching as Luna began levitating a few final decorations into position above the fireplace. Her place was looking more festive by the second, and he had to admit, he envied it a little. He hadn't been able to bring himself to decorate his little cottage yet, not seeing much of a point to it when he was the only one there.

As if on cue, the fireplace flared to life, and Lavender stepped through in a swirl of green flames. She met Neville's gaze for a second, before the glimmer of fairy lights around the tree pulled her attention in that direction. A moment later, she had Luna wrapped in her arms with a delighted laugh.

Maybe he didn't want the pink tree or the singing bird topper, but he wanted _that_. That happiness and intimacy with someone else, who was as excited to see him as he was them.

Catching Luna's eye, he flashed her an understanding smile and made his way to the Floo. The two of them needed time alone, and he needed to go home and plan. The perfect gift be damned, he wasn't waiting until Christmas to try to win Harry's heart.

* * *

"'iss-mass twee!'"

Harry's laugh rang out bright and clear from the kitchen at the bottom of the stairs, and Neville smiled as he followed Kreacher towards it. He had hoped to catch Harry alone, but from the sound of things, he was babysitting Teddy and that was fine, too.

"A guest, Master Potter," Kreacher announced as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

Neville flashed a grin when Harry looked up at him, the smile that lit up his face sending a rush through him.

"Hey, Neville."

"Nebble! Nebble!" Bouncing in his seat, Teddy's hair turned turquoise for a moment as he smacked his hands excitedly on the table, rattling the dishes in front of him. With a laugh, Neville stepped further into the room as Harry waved for him to join them.

"Hullo, Teddy. Making cookies, are you?" he asked as he looked at the mess on the table. Several bowls of colourful frosting were arranged in front of Teddy, with smears of the stuff all over the table around him as well. Teddy nodded happily before making a grab for one of the undecorated cookies in front of Harry.

"He's quite the artist, as you can see," Harry said with a gesture at the plate of finished cookies. They were messy and and a bit out of the ordinary, but Teddy seemed quite proud of his work, even pausing in his decorating to puff up his chest with a grin when Neville agreed. 

As Teddy's attention returned to the cookies, Neville's shifted to Harry, his smile turning almost shy as their eyes met. All of the carefully rehearsed words died on his tongue, the nerves finally catching back up to him now that the opportunity was in front of him, and he cleared his throat quietly as he struggled to find them again. A second later, Harry slid a cookie across the table to him, following it with a nudge of one of the frosting bowls in his direction.

"Join us?"

With a sigh of relief, Neville nodded. "Of course."

* * *

Neville smiled as Harry entered the sitting room, carrying two overflowing mugs in his hands. He accepted one with murmured thanks and swiped at a thick drop of caramel working its way down the side of the glass. Without thinking, he brought his thumb to his lips to lick the salty sweetness from his skin, before noticing Harry watching him from the corner of his eye. Flushing, Neville cleared his throat quietly and took a sip of his eggnog as though nothing had happened.

"So, you wanted to talk about something?"

Nodding, Neville lowered his mug to his lap. "I did..."

He trailed off into silence, searching for the right words to explain. When he still hadn't continued after a moment, Harry nudged his foot with his own.

"Would this have anything to do with finding a Christmas gift for me?" he asked, startling Neville to meet his eyes. Harry shrugged, offering him a small smile. "Draco doesn't keep secrets well. Neither does Ron, for that matter."

"Bloody hell," Neville groaned, tipping his head back against the sofa. When Harry chuckled softly in answer, he glanced over to find him looking almost fond. A second later, however, his features had smoothed over as Harry glanced away, though the spread of warmth in Neville's chest from that smile didn't diminish.

"I'm quite fond of sweets, you know. Not much of a gift, I suppose, but I hardly know what I want half the time. Board games and chess sets are grand, but with no one to play them with-"

"The Yule Ball," Neville interrupted, smiling when Harry gave him a curious glance. "Were you planning to go with anyone? Because I was wondering if you might like to go with me..."


End file.
